


Alchemy

by Starlithorizon



Series: Alchemy and Guitar Ties [2]
Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-19
Updated: 2012-12-19
Packaged: 2017-11-21 14:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/598907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlithorizon/pseuds/Starlithorizon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was the catalyst that triggered Martin's reaction, the one that made him look at Arthur Shappy and change what he saw.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alchemy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Belelaith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belelaith/gifts).



> Because Belelaith asked nicely, there's more. This is what happened before Guitar Ties and Handholding. We can all fall asleep tonight, curiosity sated.

It had been a strange day all-around, if Martin was being realistic. Why their only passenger had been the eight-year-old daughter of corporate bigwigs, and _just_ her, was a mystery. There wasn't even a babysitter.

Fortunately for all parties involved, Arthur was there.

The girl, Alexandra, had been dropped off at the airfield that morning without so much as a thanks from her father. Unless that was the chauffeur. Either way, Carolyn had escorted the nervous child aboard G-ERTI and gotten her all settled in. The girl was distressed that Carolyn wasn't going to be on the flight, but Arthur soon distracted her with a game of charades.

It was a long flight, which Martin always enjoyed more than he let on. He didn't want Douglas to tease him for his enthusiasm at being at the controls for so long. It showed just how much, how desperately, how solidly he loved flying. To say that it was his world felt like a gross understatement, but it worked well enough.

While Douglas was grumbling about the flight, and while Martin was pretending to commiserate, they hit a rough patch. The whole machine trembled in the grasp of turbulence, and Alexandra let out a little shriek and curled into a ball on her seat as best she could. Despite safety regulations and common sense, Arthur unbuckled from his seat and slowly maneuvered his way toward her. Slowly, gently, he lowered himself into the seat beside hers and put a hand on her shoulder.

Alexandra immediately unfurled just enough to tuck herself under the steward's arm. He wrapped the other one around her, keeping her safe from all sides. His mind was boundless with the things he could have said, things about bears and Egypt and Toblerones, but he sent those away. He murmured quiet, soothing words into her hair. Shushing noises featured quite prominently here.

His shoulder was wet with her tears, but he felt the soft shaking of crying slowly leach away, leaving calm in its wake. He didn't stop with his verbal ministrations, only went on and on, even as he felt her drift off. Her arms were wrapped around his torso, quite like a barnacle attaching to the hull of a ship or the belly of a whale, and he didn't feel like ordinary old Arthur Shappey.

It wasn't quite paternal, but it wasn't like a brother. Maybe it was...uncle-y. He felt like a real, proper grown-up (which he was, when he wasn't being Arthur the Idiot Boy) protecting Alexandra. He could protect her from anything, and he would. At least until they got her safely to her hotel, where her mother would be waiting. Arthur didn't understand why she couldn't meet her daughter at the airport, but that was just him. Perhaps it was because she was American. He felt like his People Understanding Courses couldn't extend to Americans.

Arthur was still murmuring and shushing as they hit another pocket of turbulence. He didn't mind it, and he was able to keep her relatively calm the whole time. She was tense, and obviously afraid, but not nearly as badly as she had been.

Eventually, once everything was smooth sailing once again, Martin came out to use the loo. On his way, he saw Arthur wrapped around their young passenger, who was wrapped around the steward. Arthur was leaning his cheek against the top of her head, making comforting noises and little nonsense words. Nothing about this picture spoke of Arthur's wild enthusiasm, and he actually seemed older than the girl, which was a rare occurrence indeed.

Arthur wasn't a child, and the realization, which had been sneaking up for months, had sprung. He was a grown man, and while he was sometimes a little overexcitable, he was more mature than anyone ever gave him credit for.

Alexandra, who had gotten to her mother safe and sound and smiling, was the catalyst that had triggered Martin's reaction. It was the reaction that left him feeling like a teenager with a crush, the one that had left him with exactly what he wanted, for once.


End file.
